Flooring-tool.



J. E. BURNS. FLOORING TOOL. 'APPLIOATIONYIILED SEPT. 23, 1910.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

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JOHN E. BURNS, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

FLOORING-TOOL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 23, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN E. BURNS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flooring- Tools, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices employed for nailing down floors consisting of boards having interlocking tongues and grooves, and it has for its object to provide a simple and eflicient device of this kind by the use of which the nails may be set, and the boards interlocked in the most expeditious manner.

The invention consists in a novel construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the tool, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the manner in which it is used.

As shown in the drawing, the tool comprises a straight shank 5 formed of steel, or other suitable metal, and having lateral bends 6 at each of its ends, said bends extending at right angles to the shank, and lying in planes 90 degrees apart.

The manner in which the tool is used is shown in Fig. 2. A board to be interlocked with the board already in place, is positioned as shown, the first-mentioned board being indicated at 7, and the nail to be driven at 9, the latter being driven obliquely through the board from the tongued edge, as usual. The nail is started by hand, after which the tool is used to drive it, and at the same time to bring the groove of the board over the tongue of the last board. The bends 6 are straight throughout their entire length, to permit the hereindescribed operation.

It will be noted that the parts 6 are bent back so as to extend offset with respect to corresponding sides of the shank 5, in view of which it is possible to place either offset sides of said parts in the rabbet formed by the tongue and adjacent edge of the board to be driven and nailed. A better hold on the board is thus obtained, and it is also possible to place the tool in the position shown in Fig. 2, and work from the completed portion of the flooring. It is not necessary to place the tool at such an angle to the board as to necessitate a push against the board when it is to be driven. With the tool in the position shown, the board is interlocked by a pull. The tool can also be placed so as to operate from the unfinished portion of the flooring. By making the tool double-ended, either bend may be used against the board and nail, the other end serving as a handle, which is in a most convenient position to be tightly grasped, by reason of the spacing of the bends 90 degrees apart.

The tool is extremely simple in construction and can therefore be cheaply produced, and it effectually serves the purpose for which it is designed.

I claim:

1. A tool of the class described comprising a shank having a lateral bend at one of its ends, said bend being offset with respect to corresponding sides of the shank.

2. A tool of the class described comprising a shank having a lateral bend at each of its ends, said bends being offset with respect to corresponding sides of the shank, and lying in planes at right angles to each other.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN E. BURNS.

Witnesses:

H. W. SCHULTZ, H. GUFEY. 

